Card cloning warning

[Mscrawthew]

Put your glasses on Cate, where did I say it was the only time I had ever used it? OK maybe a "recently" could have been shoved in there. Blimey cate, are you always quite so literal?

[cate]

Asset Wrote:

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> er, like all the other peeps cate. why the

> inquisition on poor Mscrawthew?

Hi Asset,

I didn't mean to conduct an inquisition.

I am trying to isolate the possible culprits. Mscrawthew's experience sounds the most able to confirm the most likely place, if there is only one place! I used that shop only once in the less than 5 weeks before my new card was cloned. The garage also seemed to be suspect which I also used. Maybe the police would be interested if the 'pin'pointing can be that precise! I am happy to go to the police, but seeing as I used the card in numerous places the info won't be as useful. I have already spoken several times to my bank and they said it's really a police matter.

Yours nosily

[Ms T]

My daughter has, yet again, become a victim of card cloning. Barclays telephoned this morning, to say money had been withdrawn from her account in Canada. This was done yesterday and when the culprits attempted to withdraw more money, the card was blocked. This week, she has used all of the above establishments and ATM's. She's only had her replacement card since July! :X

[Cora]

I too got a call from Barclays this morning...'they' tried to use my card in Canada, managed once with ?250...

Was really impressed and grateful that Barclays caught it quickly as I rarely use that card and wouldn't have noticed before more damage was done (This is the only time I have ever been impressed with Barclays!). Luckily I booked some swimming lessons at the same time someone tried to use my card in Canada.

The one thing I know is that it wasn't a petrol station as I don't have a car. Would only have used it on Lordship Lane/Sainsburys. Think Somerfields is most likely place. Now worrying about my other card which I use much more often...

[nanjing77]

I got a call from RBoS Thursday afternoon informing me that someone had taken about 160 quid out of an ATM in Senegal. I immidiately though about a local convinience store where I use the card to purchase Oyster renewals..but it seems from reading the above that it could be anywhere.

The strange thing was that this was on an expired card (expired and cancelled a few days previously..surely it should be 'dead'??). It really goes to show how helpless the bank's seem to be in controlling this. In fairness RBoS are quite on the ball and in the past they have called me (while on holiday in Italy) to ask if I was the one making the transactions before allowing me to withdraw the money.

The question I asked the fraud team at RBoS was is it possible to have a card that cannot be used outside of the UK unless you specifically give permission beforehand. If they can set a withdrawal limit then could they set a geographic control on the card? - they said they couldn't but I'd be interested in a bank that could given that these transaction invariably take place in countries I'll never likely visit.

Also there doesn't seem to be any traction amongst banks or the FSA to tackle the issue (as far as I can tell).

[kristymac1]

Just joined the group! Had a call from HSBC this morning to say there had been attempted fraud on my card in India - thankfully bank refused the transaction and cancelled my card before any damage could be done - really have no idea where it would have happened, I use my card all over ED, most supermarkets and cashpoints - haven't used the petrol station for ages though.....

x

[lickylizard]

Supposedly 200+ people in the area were cloned - they enjoyed 500 from me before the bank stopped it. As they had the issue number of the card my bank suspected a retailer in the area, who knows?

[mikese22]

I've just been cloned too ?200 in the states - could have been worse

hats off to NatWest for spotting it straight away - last time (a few years back) I was down ?4k before I spotted it!

[Zak]

I too got a call from the bank ( Alliance & Leicester) just yesterday. Apparently someone had tried (unsuccessfully) to carry out a transaction in Australia. We can't put our finger on when and where in ED it might have been cloned - but in view of the weight of evidence, it looks like it's another one to add to the list.

[monica]

I was at the HSBC just no and the card slot is moving, iv called the police, i cancelled my card before i entered my pin. So I would recommend do not use it please

[aggie]

Me too. On Friday 8th I used my credit card in Sommerfield at 7.30am then spent the day indoors before going to Sainsburys DKH at 3.30. When I paid using my credit card something happened on the system and the assistant told me to go to Customer service for verification - not sure why but it had been happening all day. The girl at customer service said 'not another bloody one, I'm getting sick of this'. I went home just thinking that their system was on the blink and found a message on my phone asking me to ring the credit card company. They asked if I had withdrawn ?250 from a Croydon ATM at 10.30 and of course I said no. It was this that had alerted them as I have never withdrawn cash on a credit card. We ran through my boring spending which is either Sommerfield or Sainsburys and there was nothing else dodgy. They really only seemed interested in the early morning trip to Sommerfield, seems like the card will be used very quickly after cloning. I am positive that I was the only person paying in Sommerfield at 7.30 and I'm always pretty careful with the pin number so I am baffled as to how it happened. From reading all the posts it does seem like Friday was a good day for the cloners.Thank heavens the banks are on the ball but we all need to keep checking our accounts in case something slips through the net

[Keef]

I honestly don't think people need to worry too much about ATMs. I have taken to using cash much more, as it seems to be in the shops where you're in more danger.

[miket53]

NatWest called me to tell me someone had tried to get cash in Canada. Transaction was rejected and my card has been cancelled. This is the second time this year, the first was in February when someone got cash in South Africa. This means they had the PIN as well. Now I always cover the keypad while putting in the number.

Recent use of the card was at 2 supermarkets in ED (both beginning with S)

Used another card to get cash from HSBC in LL so I'm worrying about that now.

[GemmaT]

I also got a call from LloydsTSB on Friday saying that someone tried to take ?99 out of my account in Ghana - thankfully the bank did not let them. It was from my boyfriend and I's joint account and the only place we use that card is Somerfield or the dvd shop in East Dulwich. Looks like Im just another one to add to the growing list of people who have had their bank card cloned in East Dulwich!

[Bobbie]

I had my card cloned just before I went on holiday on 11 July. The only place I had used my card in East Dulwich for a month before that was Somerfield. Sadly, I was stopped from using my card in Malaysia whilst on holiday but I guess I should be grateful the bank was vigilant.

[monopoly69]

Another cloning (yawn) to add to the list: whilst in Somerfield yesterday my debit card wouldn't work at the checkout because I'd mysteriously gone overdrawn, overnight. Turns out that my bank hadn't spotted anything unusual and had authorised several purchases in Canada which more than emptied my account (and within only a few hours of my using the card for regular local stuff, so I couldn't physically have been in Canada unless I'd teleported there. Which I hadn't.). It sounds as though other banks are more on-the-ball as I only ever use the card for supermarket shops or on LL, so the whole being-in-Canada thing was 'unusual activity', but they still didn't block the card till I called them to find out where the money had gone. Sigh. The really irritating thing, of course, is that because it's a debit card rather than a credit card, it's 'real' money that's vanished out of my account, and could take weeks for Barclays to process the refunds, so we'll be living on fresh air till it's sorted. Maybe I should have kept a back-up credit card for just this kind of situation...

[Ms T]

Daughter went to Barclays this morning and has found out that more money was taken out of her account, in Canada! Two lots gone, wiped out and having to wait for all the papers etc! She has direct debits to pay and won't get paid until the end of the month. B...... crooks!

[cate]

Ms T,

Re your post today:-

Didn't Barclays block her account/card from the last time? Then they should refund her that money straight away because it sounds like their own fraud systems aren't even working after the fact!

[ianr]

Radio 4 You and Yours ran a twelve minute piece about forecourt card fraud at about 12:40 today. It should eventually be listenable-again to for seven days (not there yet) at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/. Failing that, I have an mp3 recording, ~ 5.4Mb.

Essentially, the story was that the card data collection period was usually over, and the apparatus and evidence removed, before the account harvesting began. Not surprising, really, for thieves with some intelligence.

So if you want to catch them, be on the lookout for dodgy ATMs or pin entry devices, and camera spyholes, and let the police know then.

[phil2k]

Thought I would add to the woes: mine and girlfriends' cards both cloned after being used *somewhere* in East Dulwich. Both had attempts early on Saturday morning in US, Canada and Nigeria - all declined, thankfully. Never thought I'd be so grateful to the natwest...

[BARA]

Bumped into an old friend today who was trying to get some money for her holiday this weekend. It would seem as though she had been cloned 5 times this year - Bali, Male, Canada and somewhere else in Africa. Husband also been done as well.

She has been gradually eliminating the places she has used the cards. This card had only been used in Sommerfield LL and Halifax have got the police onto it. She also spoke with the manager at Sommerfield who reported that they had a number of complaints. Some of their tills have been 'redesigned'/ updated especially the self service ones. Friend also mentioned that high turnover of staff recently at Sommerfields.

[MissJones]

Yes, yes, me too. I was in Somerfield on Sunday afternoon. Got home half an hour later to find the call on my answer machine from Barclay's fraud detection. They had taken ?49 out in Canada, and had then tried again for more money, but had been refused. Somerfield is the only place is ED I have used my card lately.

I was in Barclays on Lordship Lane earlier today sorting something else out, and the place was heaving with people trying to sort out fraud on their cards.

[Ms T]

cate Wrote:

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> Ms T,

>

> Re your post today:-

>

> Didn't Barclays block her account/card from the

> last time? Then they should refund her that money

> straight away because it sounds like their own

> fraud systems aren't even working after the fact!

Yes, supposedly they did! Thank you for the advice, will inform her of what you have said.

[Shu.Kurimu.Sensei]

I saw last night that someone had made two transactions amounting to ?320 on my account, called Lloyds and they said until they went through Lloyds couldn't check it out and refund me.... Only places I use the card for this account are Somerfield and the Tesco Metro on Peckham Rye...

Very annoying indeed!

My brother only uses the Barclays machine on LL and had someone spend ?800 in Canada, so I guess a scanner/camera combo or something must have been fitted to their LL atm recently.

If only the UK had gone with that encrypted chip and pin system instead, doh!

[JenSpen]

Reading through everyone elses posts and due to my own experience we seem to have a common denominator - Somerfields Lordship Lane!!!! I very rarely use my cc and have never experienced fraud before, however after using it on 5th August in Somerfield I got a call on the 7th to say that someone had tried - unsuccessfuly - to withdraw ?250 from a hole in the wall using my cc. I guess the reason that they picked this up is that I never ever withdraw money using my CC. Funnily enough, and unlike everyone else experiences, this was attempted at a Nationwide cash machine, so in the UK I guess?? The annoying thing is that they made me cut up my credit card, however I had no money in the bank, hence why I was suing the cc. They assured me they would transfer some on Friday, which they didnt, and now I have gone overdrawn and may face charges :-( I think we all need to spread the word about avoiding possible fraud hot spots!